From the Ashes
by tediz-leader
Summary: In the chamber of Vector Sigma, something else was locked away. Something that will help the Autobots get back Optimus... And put them through Hell... And this something has taken a hold of Jack...ON A SMALL HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**So… a little plot bunny decided to bite me recently after watching some old X-Men episodes and decided on this story… Now, for those of you who've seen X-Men, you know what's coming~ On a side note, I thought that since Jack was given the Key, why not also give him the strongest force in the universe? He deserves it for what we all put him through… I'm looking at you, BlackWolf219… Ha-ha, I kid, Blackwolf~ you and I should collaborate on a fun 'Versus' fic… My Phoenix!Jack against your Ghost Rider!Jack…. It'll be fun~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers: Prime or X-Men… If I did, this would be a ten-part episode and not a fanfic… **

**Warnings for this chapter: a bit of gore, and my suck-tacularness… **

**This chapter dedicated to Megatron's Blackfire for always helping me out with my ideas.**

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The light blue glow the Key to Vector Sigma was giving off did little to calm him down. How he managed to pull the damn thing off its perch was beyond him; then again, Jack was still trying to comprehend the existence of life on other planets and galaxies, and how a scraplet decided to ignore its brethren and the Insecticon in favor of his arm. Its teeth, as sharp as they were, managed to go through his space suit and, unfortunately, through the flesh of his arm as well. He was lucky enough to pull the thing off him, and it had scrambled to the Insecticon being devoured before ultimately falling to its demise. In a state of panic, Jack had grabbed the key (with his injured arm, surprisingly), and managed to run all the way to the entrance of the chamber when the adrenaline gave out and the blood loss kicked in.

He sank to his knees from the sudden dizziness, and somehow managed to brace himself with his good arm as he fell over on his side. He instinctively tightened his grip on the key, which was a bad move on his part because his arm throbbed with agonizing pain, making him bleed even more on the metal artifact. Jack briefly wondered if the scraplet bit him hard enough to give his radius (or was it his ulna?) hairline fractures, and at this point he knew he was on the verge of losing consciousness and most likely his own life if he was starting to remember medical terms and most of the names of the bones that made up the skeletal system. He also wondered if he was going to die of blood loss first or asphyxiation; apparently, his lungs didn't like the air that was an odd mixture of carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, and, surprisingly, neon. Jack could already feel his chest tightening around his lungs, which he suspected were filled with fluid with the way he couldn't breathe right and felt _sloshing_ around in there when he fell over.

'I'm going to die of asphyxiation first… No doubt about it…' He thought to himself as he felt blood start to trickle from his nose. 'All because I let my guard down for one measly second…' He sighed mentally. 'Arcee… Please come quick…' he prayed silently as he looked down at the now-bloodied key in his hand. His thoughts drifted back to when Optimus gave him the key, thinking it was nothing that important. Then he began thinking of Optimus, and how important he was, not just to the Autobots, but to him. It wasn't long until he began to think about all the Autobots and the friends he made along the way. The one that stood out the most in his memories was Arcee; she was the elder sister he never got the chance of having due to a miscarriage his mother had before she had him. He liked to think that meeting and befriending Arcee was God's way of apologizing and making it up to him. And while their initial meeting wasn't the best they could've had, the events and moments they shared that followed just seemed to strengthen their relationship even more. He hoped the femme was alright; at least then someone could take the key back and get back Optimus. Jack was shaken out of his thoughts as he coughed violently, splattering the inside of his helmet with blood. He grimaced in pain and disgust at the sight of his own saliva mixed with blood. He was right; his lungs were full of liquid… though technically blood wasn't really a liquid… More of a tissue if he remembered correctly from that night his mom had to drag him along one of her evening classes at the medical college when he was seven… And there he went again with medical babble. As his vision began to blur, he looked down at the key again through the splattered visor and thought the key was glowing brighter.

'Please…' He prayed as he brought the key to his chest, wincing as his arm throbbed again, 'If anyone can hear me… If there's any deity or being out there… I beg you… Help me... Please… Help me… save… my family…" Jack's eyes fluttered and closed, and his arm plopped on the ground, splattering the floor with blood. They key fell into the puddle, glowing brighter as it fell into Jack's blood. A beam suddenly shot out of the key and into the device it was once placed in, making the keyhole shift and open wider. The beam then faded out, and the key stopped glowing. The relic seemed to disintegrate into the blood, crumbling away until there was a pile of metallic dust sitting on the puddle. The machine began to glow blue, and blue fire shot out of the opening the key had made. The fire manifested into the shape of what looked like an eagle and floated over Jack's prone form.

"Jackson Darby." It spoke with an ethereal voice. "I have heard your pleas to save your allies. I have also seen your memories and am impressed you would sacrifice your own life for these Cybertronian beings. Because of this, Primus and I believe you are worthy of harnessing my power." Tendrils of flame crawled from the tail of the firebird and began to encircle the unconscious form of Jack. The fire healed his arm in seconds and easily burned away the suit before encasing him in a cocoon made of blue fire.

"I shall help you, Jackson Darby." It stated as the puddle of blood began to glow. It seeped into the cocoon and pooled around the teen's chest before taking the form of the Key. A fire tendril reached down to it, and the blood was transformed back into the Key to Vector Sigma. As it imbedded into his chest, the key began to glow, and blue, glowing wires began to branch out and take the form of the firebird hovering above him.

"Rise from the ashes, Jackson Darby." The spirit commanded before diving into the cocoon and becoming part of the growing fire. After a minute, the flames calmed down, and the cocoon dissipated. Jack now wore simple black pants, black boots, and a blue, sleeveless shirt with a deep neckline that showed off the key on his chest. The Key, as well as the insignia of the bird, glowed a deep blue, pulsing in tune with his heartbeat.

"Wake up, Jackson Darby. Become the Phoenix." Jack's eyes shot open at the command. They glowed an intense blue that they almost looked white, as if they were windows to the fiery energy dwelling inside him. Pulling himself up to his feet, the teen stared ahead at the tunnel before blue fire began to seep out of his body. A falcon cry echoed through the chamber before he flew out in a flash and leaving a trail of fire behind him.

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**Before you ask, no, I will not pair him up with Arcee... They seem more like brother and sister to me than anything... **


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright! Chapter 2! This story might move along faster than the other ones because, frankly, this one's easier to plan out… and I forgot to change the font to the Phoenix Force's speaking voice last chapter… I'm an idiot… :c**

**Anyways, thank you all for the faves and reviews! They really cheered me up after a long day :)**

**And Blackwolf, I have a pretty good idea, but I won't tell you it until later~**

**Additional notes: I suck at action scenes… please bare with me as I practice them out… Also, I'm not pairing him up with Miko, Sierra, Arcee, or Airachnid… well, Airachnid'll be a creeper as usual, but nothing bad will happen… to **_**him**_**, at least… (EPIC FORESHADOWING!) Maybe I'll be evil and make this a slash fanfiction! Muahaha…. Then again, I'll lose reviewers for this story :(**

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The first thing she felt was a dull ache in her entire body. What had caused it, she couldn't quite remember. All Arcee could remember was Earth and how she used to hate it before meeting up with Jack and his friends. That was when she started to find the beauty in the planet they were stuck on, and how lucky she was to have found Jack. Remembering her human charge, Arcee on-lined with a start and activated her blasters as she sat up quickly. Finding nothing but the ruins of the coliseum and dust around her, she powered down her weapons and stood up. She rubbed her temple as a dull pain echoed throughout her helm, wondering what would have caused her to offline. Seeing no sign of Jack, she started to panic. Arcee quickly got up on her pedes.

"Jack! Jack, where are you?" She cried out as she ran over to the entrance of the tunnel she last saw him run into. How could she have been so careless as to underestimate an insecticon? The blasted thing managed to knock her out, and she hoped to Primus that it hadn't followed Jack.

"Please be safe…" she whispered in a sort of prayer. If anything happened to him, she didn't know what she would do. A small light from the tunnel caught her attention as she strained her optics to see what it was. As it grew closer, she saw that the source of the light was a large column of blue fire. She ducked out of the way as the flames burst out of the entrance. The femme had to shield her optics from the intense brightness and heat. When the brightness dulled into a more bearable level, she lowered her arm and let it drop when she found herself staring at the human she had grown to care for floating in front of her. Her wide optics couldn't comprehend what she was seeing; Jack was alive and well, without a space suit to help him breathe and adjust to the pressure. Her optic ridges furrowed in confusion and worry when she spotted the key imbedded in his chest.

"Jack?" she asked uncertainly. "What… What happened?" At first, the human didn't respond and stared into her optics with his glowing eyes. To say it unnerved her was an understatement. Arcee couldn't help but worry about what happened to him, especially when blue flames were coming off him like a human torch.

**"_We must return to Earth."_** His voice startled her. It sounded so… strong… and so… _foreign_. But despite common knowledge, she trusted him. This being in front of her was Jack, her Jack. Even if he was floating in the air as if it were nothing, emitting blue fire from his body, and speaking to her with an ethereal voice. Something in her spark told her it was him under all that immense power. Still, she couldn't help but hesitate a little as she transformed to follow him back to the meeting point.

* * *

"Come Arcee, so that I may end the lineage of the Primes for all time."

"I cannot allow that to happen, Megatron." The warlord suppressed a growl at the sound of his rival's voice and pedes hitting the floor with each step he took. He turned around, not bothering to hide the anger and hatred in his faceplates.

"And why should you care, _Orion Pax_? You are no Prime!" Orion looked down, as if doubting himself for his decision. But any negative feeling the amnesiac had seemingly vanished when he stood up straight again.

"That may be true or maybe another deception. But this I do know; my sympathies lie with the Autobots, and _you_ are not one of us!" He declared as he unleashed his blades. Megatron narrowed his optics in anger; the Prime was starting to get on his nerves. Orion rushed him, but the Decepticon managed to block him and landed a strong punch to Orion's abdominal plating. Orion groaned in pain as he sunk to his knees.

"Your spark may be in the right place, Orion." He began as he delivered another blow, this time between Orion's shoulder blades. The red and blue mech cried out in pain as he fell to the ground and struggled to get up. "But you have much to learn before you can hope to ever again stand your ground against me!" He raised his blade and aimed it at the Prime. "A moment, sadly, which will never come-_**AUGH**_!" The warlord screamed in agony as a beam of blue fire hit him between his shoulders. Turning around quickly, he barely caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a blue firebird before Arcee jumped through the portal and tackled him to the ground, sending them both a few feet away. A loud, powerful falcon cry echoed through the chamber as Jack flew in through the portal. The flames surrounding him calmed down as Orion turned towards him. His optics widened when he saw the teen, even more when he noticed the Key in his chest. He raised his gaze to Jack's eyes, suddenly feeling weak when he peered into the almost-white depths.

"Are you… certain I am worthy?" Jack only smirked as the fire formed the blue firebird behind him. With a flap of its 'wings,' Jack floated gracefully to Orion, stopping a few feet away from his faceplates. The fire began to surround both of them as the key in his chest glowed stronger.

"You have no idea." He replied as a beam of light shot out from the key into Orion's matrix. The fire engulfed them both into a sort of cocoon, as if protecting the two from any outside interference. Ratchet, finally gaining his senses, raised his helm in the direction of the fire and felt his spark stop.

"Impossible…" He muttered. "The Phoenix Force was only a legend…"Hearing the medic, Megatron stopped attacking Arcee and turned around in time to witness the cocoon take the form of a bird again and let out a cry as it floated behind the newly-restored Optimus. He growled, dodging Arcee's fire as he rushed towards the two.

"**NO!** The Phoenix Force was destroyed in the war!" He easily pushed away a struggling Ratchet before he leaped into the air. "No one should be able to wield its power!" He was suddenly pushed back as a fire blast hit him square in the chest. Megatron grunted in pain as he hit the ground, skidding slightly before hitting a wall. Optimus, shocked at the sudden action, looked back towards Jack, who had his arm straight out and glowing brighter. He lowered his hand before flying to the center of the room. At this point, the Autobots and Megatron had regained their bearings and watched in shock as the fire around Jack grew.

"_**Hear me, Autobots!"**_ He spoke in that deep, ethereal voice again, making Arcee shudder. _**"I am no longer the human you once knew." **_A sudden growl interrupted him, and Jack narrowed his eyes when he locked eyes with Megatron. The warlord sneered.

"Explain yourself, human." He demanded.

"_**I am Fire and Life incarnate. I am one with the Key to Vector Sigma, now and forever! I am PHOENIX!"**_ Megatron's spark froze as his optics widened.

"Impossible… You… You can't be…" The fire grew larger, and the fear was replaced with anger. Megatron pulled himself up despite the severe burns on his body and glared at Jack.

"You will pay for this, boy! I will make sure of it!" Before anyone could stop him, the warlord managed to run into his own ground bridge before it disappeared. Optimus let out a sad sigh before looking up at his team, giving them a small, grateful smile.

"Thank you… All of you. Thank you all for not giving up on me." He then turned to look at Jack, who had floated back towards the group. His smile faltered a bit when he glanced at the Key in his chest.

"And thank you, Jack. If it wasn't for your courage and bravery, I may not be here talking to you. Not only have you proven yourself worthy of the Key, but you have also shown great dedication and loyalty to us. I am forever in your debt, Jack." The teen smiled back at him until the flames around him began to die down. His smile disappeared, and his eyes turned back to normal as he began to lose altitude.

"Help… me…"

"Jack!"

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**Huh... that's not good… **


	3. Chapter 3

**Apologies for the lateness, but shit happens… like writers' block, your dog getting Parvo, and your school schedule eating your energy…**

**On a side note: on a mission to make Vince a more 3-dimensional character!**

Ratchet snuck a glance at the teenager currently occupying the hospital bed they had set up in his med bay. It had been at least three hours since they returned back to base from their mission, but to the Medic it felt like it had been days. He mostly blamed it on the fact that he, along with the rest of the Autobots and their human companions, were worried sick over Jack. Not only was he given the immense responsibility of holding the Key to Vector Sigma, he also became the vessel of the legendary Phoenix Force that until recently had been nothing but a myth. The only good thing of all this was that Jack was alive and well, and after a good rest, the human would be back to normal. He sighed and walked out of the med bay towards the humans and the rest of the Autobots, whom he was sure wanted answers.

"Jack will be fine after he sleeps; it seems he had merely exhausted himself from the power he used." June furrowed her brows in worry and confusion as she looked up at the medic.

"Are you sure my son will be alright?" Ratchet nodded.

"Positive. I'll set up a spare bed later if you wish to stay the night to observe him." She nodded and gave him a small smile.

"Thank you." She said as she walked inside the room to stay by her son. As soon as she was gone, Arcee looked up at him and narrowed her optics.

"Ratchet, what's going on? Why is the Key in his chest?" Ratchet hummed in thought, watching June sit down by the medical bed through the translucent glass.

"It seems that when the Phoenix bound itself to him, it also fused the key to his heart. It's basically a part of him now, as well as being the thing that's keeping him alive at this point." Her optics widened in shock.

"Keeping him _alive_!? What happened to him?"

"I don't know much for sure, but whatever happened to him, it was before the Phoenix fused with him and healed everything. Until Jack wakes up, we won't know what happened in the Chamber."

"But… why did the Phoenix bond to him?" It was at this point that Optimus decided to step in. He cleared his throat and stepped up.

"I believe it would be best if I explained this part. In any case, I believe I should start from the beginning. The Phoenix Force is an immortal manifestation of the universal force of life. It is hailed as the Guardian of Creation because of this and for this, Primus had entrusted it with the safety of the All- Spark." Fowler tilted his head in confusion.

"The All Spark? What in the world is that? And what does it have to do with the fact that we might have a human casualty?!"

"As Ratchet has stated before, Agent Fowler, Jack will be alright; he is merely exhausted. As for the All Spark, it is the source of all Transformers' life. It once resided in the Well of All Sparks where it carried out the will of Primus by creating Cybertronian life. But when the war erupted, it ceased to produce life as an act of divine rebellion. Then, from either a sudden change of heart or act of desperation, it created one more final generation before I ejected the All Spark into space so no one could abuse its power."

"And what about the Phoenix Force?" Asked Bulkhead, "What happened to it?"

"It decided to stay within the Chamber of Vector Sigma to help its core regain its strength. Without the All Spark, the Well was starting to become unstable, which would have caused Cybertron to break apart if left alone." Ratchet shook his helm in disbelief.

"But, we were told the Phoenix Force was lost along with the All Spark... that it was destroyed!" Arcee crossed her arms.

"I thought it was only a legend..." Optimus stole a glance at Jack's sleeping form before looking back to his team.

"We had to keep it that way so no one would try to sabotage the Chamber or look for the All Spark." The Autobots murmured to themselves, understanding why the Phoenix was treated more as a myth. Bumblebee then looked up.

**"So… what's going to happen to Jack? Will he be okay?" **Ratchet nodded as he made his way over to the med bay.

"Yes. As intimidating as it was, the Phoenix Force will not harm Jack. If anything, it will help him and maybe even improve some of his physical aspects. Last time I checked, his upper body strength was much more noticeable than before… Not to mention his healing factor is greatly improved." He took a glance back at Optimus. "Optimus, when Jack wakes up again, what are you going to do?" The Prime remained silent, unable to give a direct answer.

"I do not know, old friend. All I know is that we must keep him away from the Decepticons. I fear Megatron would try to harness the Phoenix Force like he tried with Dark Energon."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Vince growled to himself as he made his way down the darkened street. His so-called "friends" had decided to have another one of their 'gatherings' in the park. Normally, Vince would've been alright with messing around with the swing set and monkey bars at night while they talked about random things, but ever since Jon started smoking it seemed his posse just started going downhill, him included. While the others acquired a taste for the alcoholic beverages or mind-altering inhalants, Vince became more of an asshole, for lack of a better term. Maybe it was an act of rebellion or the fact his father was as much of a moronic asshole as he was that he became such a jerk to everyone he deemed below him.

"What a fucked-up life I lead…"he muttered to himself as he passed a drugstore. Granted, his father was loaded due to the fact he was the head of the law office in Jasper, but the fact that almost everyone sucked up to him because of said money was irritating, to say the least. And if that wasn't enough, the bastard divorced his own mother for a younger woman that had so much plastic surgery done she would pretty much pass off as a human Barbie doll. Granted, these probably weren't good reasons to terrorize his classmates that were at the bottom of the social food chain, but that's all he could really come up with. Vince looked up from the sidewalk to find himself in a neighborhood he didn't recognize, which at this point he realized he was thinking about his life so much he just kept walking until he got lost.

"Well, this is just great…" He muttered to himself as he continued walking, "The one time I actually try to re-think my lifestyle and choices and I get fucking lost… I bet Jack doesn't do this shit…" Ah yes… Jackson Darby… The guy whose life was shittier than his, and he still had the audacity to be happier than him. So what made his life better? His parents weren't filthy rich, and he knew his dad left them when he was about ten years old. He remembered the last time he saw Jack's father was when the man went to pick him up from school, which was close to the time they stopped being friends… Vince furrowed his brows in confusion and anger. Jack was his best friend all throughout elementary, but once his father left, it seemed like everything in their lives went downhill. His own father cheated on his mother with another woman, which led to the divorce. Vince would have wanted to go with his mother, but due to the fact she was an archaeologist, she travelled constantly. And because of that, his father gained full custody of him. He barely had contact with his biological mother asides from the weekly e-mails.

'I wonder if she'll ever come visit me in person…' He thought to himself as he crossed the street. The last time he saw her was two years ago, before she had to go to the Galapagos Islands. She was possibly the only person he could stop the 'confident ass-face' routine and just be himself. He started to think again, and was so absorbed in his thoughts he almost didn't notice Jack's mom getting out of her car and calling towards him.

"Vince? Is that you?" He turned his head up, almost sighing in relief when he found someone he sort of knew. He cleared his throat as he made his way over to the dark-haired woman.

"Uh, y-yeah… How are you, Mrs. Darby?" Just because he was an utter dick to her son didn't mean he couldn't behave around her. She smiled sadly, making Vince frown in confusion.

"I've been better, Vince…" She reached into her purse and pulled out her house keys. "Do you want to come in? You look pretty tired…" He nodded happily.

"That would be great, ma'am. I kind of got lost walking from the park…" They entered the house, and the redhead happily accepted a glass of water as June and he sat down on the sofas in the living room.

"So what were you doing in the park this late?" He shrugged.

"Well, I was out with some friends… And they… Well, they were being stupid, so I decided to just try and walk home… Until I remembered I don't know this side of town…"She gave him a smile that said 'You're such an idiot' and 'I'm sorry you had to endure that' at the same time… It was a smile only concerned, loving mothers could pull off.

"You should have asked for a ride…" He scoffed.

"Nah… they weren't listening to me… they hardly do anymore…" he muttered as he set the half-empty glass on the coffee table. Vince was about to ask for the bathroom when his eye caught sight of a picture of Jack posing next to his motorcycle. Suddenly curious as to why Jack wasn't around, he decided to ask for his whereabouts.

Um, Mrs. Darby; where's Jack?" hearing the heartbroken sigh that escaped her lips made him instantly regret asking.

"Jack got in an accident on Friday while he was on his way to Mercury; he was supposedly going to buy something in a store over there…" Vince felt the color drain from his face, and the living room suddenly got ten degrees colder.

"Is…. Is Jack okay?" She nodded, and Vince let out a sigh of relief.

"He suffered a few bruises and scratches, but he got a concussion, so they're keeping him there until tomorrow. " The redhead felt a cold, dull pain begin to pulse from the bottom of his stomach; Jack Darby, his supposed sworn enemy, had been very close to dying. Luckily, he was going to be okay, but it still made him think about all the interactions he'd had with him. He sighed again, this time from shame. He looked up again, giving June a warm, apologetic smile.

"He's going to be okay, Mrs. Darby. If I know Jack, then he's going to pull through…" Instead of asking for a ride home, Vince asked if he could spend the night. June allowed it, and for the rest of the night, Vince made it his mission to help out the kind woman any way he could. It was the least he could do to make it up to Jack.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Jack… Jack, can you hear me?" The teen groaned as he slowly started to regain consciousness. What was Ratchet doing in his room?

"Jack, please. Wake up." Fluttering his eyes a few times, Jack finally got them open. He winced at the sudden barrage of bright lights above him. He heard Ratchet mutter something under his breath as he walked over to the light switches and turned them down.

"Jack? Are you awake?" After a few more tries, Jack finally opened his eyes and furrowed his brows in confusion at the IV latched onto his arm and the seemingly worried medic hovering over him.

"Um…y…yeah?" Ratchet let out a sigh of relief as he straightened up and walked over to the monitors.

"Thank the All spark… You had us all worried, you know…" He tried to sit up, but a sudden wave of dizziness hit him. He groaned and laid back down.

"Where… Where is everyone?"

"They're out investigating an energy signature. We believe some of the Iacon artifacts have begun to surface after… well… you know…" Jack tried to sit up again, sighing in relief when he succeeded.

"Your mother is at work in the hospital, and Miko and Raf are at school. Agent Fowler was kind enough to make it so you wound

"So… what…. What happened after I gave Optimus is memory back?" Ratchet pursed his lip components in thought.

"You lost consciousness and almost fell if Optimus hadn't caught you in time. You overexerted yourself, you know… Please be more careful next time." His lips curled into a small smile.

"I'll try not to, Ratchet…" Looking up at Ratchet's worried faceplates, Jack sighed.

"You want to know what happened on Cybertron, don't you?" The medic cleared his throat.

"I need to know what happened to you so I can treat you better, Jack. The Phoenix Force changed some of your internal organs, and I want to know why and how much they've been altered. So please explain why your lungs, your heart, and your forearm seem to have Cybertronian wires around them." The teen looked down for a second, pondering how exactly he would explain his arm being mauled and his lungs bleeding. He looked up again, and Ratchet almost shivered at the way his eyes glowed that fiery, powerful blue.

"Ratchet, promise to tell no one but Optimus what I'm about to tell you; I don't want everyone worrying about me." Ratchet nodded.

"Doctor-Patient confidentiality is something you humans and us have in common. I promise nothing you tell me comes out of this room with the exception of Optimus."

* * *

I'm sorry this chapter took so long... I'm also sorry it seems a bit rushed/choppy/utterly crap-tacular...

Please RnR!

P.S. I'm still not pairing him up with Arcee, stop asking...


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